18,770 industrial units shut in 7 years: Bajwa

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday said Punjab was heading for doomsday on the industrial front, according to information procured under the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday said Punjab was heading for doomsday on the industrial front, according to information procured under the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

According to Bajwa, during the past seven years of the SAD-BJP regime, as many as 18,770 industrial units had shut down, while no major new industry had been set up, contrary to claims of the Punjab government.

Bajwa said the information obtained from the state industries department was shocking and it revealed the true picture of the industrial scenario in the state.

He said the RTI information also revealed that the Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit held in Mohali, a brainchild of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was nothing but a 'prank' and a publicity stunt with the people of Punjab.

According to Bajwa, the industry department had failed to provide information regarding MoUs (memoranda of understanding) signed by the state government with various industrial houses who participated in the summit and made commitments on investment.

Sukhbir had announced during the summit held in December last year that various industrial houses had committed to invest nearly Rs 65,000 crore in Punjab, for which the MoUs had already been signed.Bajwa said the RTI activist working for the PPCC, Dr Jasdeepak Singh, was not provided information on MoUs within the stipulated time period of 35 days.

He said Sukhbir had only used the summit as a publicity stunt and nothing concrete had happened on the investment front thereafter.

Bajwa asked Sukhbir to explain how much investment he had received from NRIs and industrial houses, as claimed by the latter, during the NRI Sammelan and the Progressive Punjab summit.